Jan 5, 2013 - Los Llanos

We arrived at our camp later that night. It was pretty rustic, but I liked it. It had hammocks that swung by a pond full of caimans and our cabana was like a large circus tent – it seemed really spacious after our tiny room in Merida. Plus we could choose whether we wanted to sleep in a hammock or our rather uncomfortable bed. We rotated between the two. We were serenaded to bed at night by a chorus of animals and awoke to a beautiful sunrise with scarlet ibis and roseate spoonbill wading in the caiman pond. I think the next day was the...

Jan 4, 2013 - Travel by bus to Los Llanos

We woke up this morning early to make our 7:30 departure time for Los Llanos. Chris was feeling a little better from his travel sickness, but was grateful we had a tour bus to take us directly to our destination. We arrived to our tour company and Jorge, one of the guys who worked there said – Senora, I’m sorry, but the other two people on your trip have cancelled. They were sick and decided they couldn’t go. I stared at Jorge in disbelief as there was a motorcycle rally happening in Merida starting today and there appeared to be no lodging...

Jan 3, 2013 - PN Sierra Nevada

We took a day trip to PN Sierra Nevada today because I’m always interested in seeing the national parks. Plus Chris wasn’t feeling well so we decided going somewhere close where we could take it easy would be good. It was actually very easy to get there from Merida – all we had to do was take a bus and then a jeep. I think it cost a total of about $3 for us both round trip. The park was beautiful. We hung out by the Rio Corromoto for a while – Chris was sleeping, trying to recover from whatever Montezuma had sent him. Then we walked up the...

Jan 2, 2013 - Mountain biking in Merida, Venezuela

New Year's day was quiet in Venezuela. We spent part of the day traveling from caracas to Merida. The Caracas airport was actually quite friendlier to navigate than I expected, but Giovanna suggested that we arrive early as Jan. 1 could be a big travel day. In fact all days around Christmas and New Year's are big travel days in Venezuela so if you are planning a trip, book your flights early (like several months early). We were glad we had tickets - it definitely eliminated stress. Thus far, we have run into nobody but kind people in...

Feb 17, 2011 - Merida

Easy taxi to terminal, this time the correct price of 12b! The bus for Merida leaves almost as soon as we get on 8am. But instead of the one hour we were led to believe it takes two to get there...huge amt of traffic, still a bit of rain and we pass a small landslide which has narrowed the two lanes to one (guys out there w/ shovels). We go thru one of the longest tunnels that we've been thru in South America, I'd guess over 5 km at least. Finally, in Merida we walk from bus stop (got to take a city bus 3 km from where travel bus terminal...

Feb 16, 2011 - El Vigia

After crossing long bridge just outside Maracaibo the bus continues for less than 2 hours before mechanical problems end its journey and we (there are only 6-8 passengers) transfer to another bus waiting for us. This one sounds even worse than the one we just left but runs just fine for the distance. We are still in lowland, dry country until about 3:30pm when we begin climbing and getting into very green, lush highlands, lots of banana trees and ranchland, cattle and cows but little else in the way of ag. More tall trees perhaps like used...

Dec 22, 2009 - Merida

Merida is often referred to as Venezuela´s adventure sports capital. I decided to have a go at paragliding while I was here. On xmas eve, as the sun was setting, I ran and jumped off the top of a 1600m high mountain. It felt bizarre doing this and I was extremely relieved that the instructor, who was safely in situ behind me, had fastened all the equipment correctly. I then had 35 minutes of gliding as the sun set behind the mountains that surround the city of Merida. This was an awesome experience. I was pretty ill on xmas day but I did...

Dec 4, 2009 - Over the border to Venezuela

Our adventure continues. We took a bus that would transport us from Santa Marta to Maracaibo in Venezuela. It took most of the day and we were accompanied by one of our Ciudad Perdida companions. It was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Maracaibo some time around 11 o´clock when the bus stopped on the freeway to drop us off in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Luckily the bus driver helped us get a taxi to the bus station. Venezuelans, it turned out, are very friendly and helpful people. We were worried that Chavez´s 8 hour...

Aug 11, 2009 - Parque nacional Sierra Nevada

Une fois nos amis de Merida partis, nous allons plus loin dans la montagne pour faire trois jours de camping dans le parc national Sierra Nevada. C’est une inscription un peu compliqué (et pour rien), mais au moins nous campons dans un pré près d’une cascade qui nous sert de douche et de boisson ! Nous sommes à 3600m et le froid se fait sentir franchement, surtout la nuit. Et la journée c’est surtout la pluie et le brouillard qui dominent. Mais nous passons un super temps au milieu de la nature, au bon air et nous expérimentons l’absence de...

Aug 7, 2009 - Merida

Nous voici donc en route vers notre seconde ville du Venezuela, Merida. Sur les routes, il y a toujours beaucoup de traffic. Il faut dire que dans ce pays l’essence revient moins chere que l’eau, donc tout le monde roule en voiture. Dans le bus, nous faisons la rencontre de Jefferson, un jeune venezuelien de notre âge. Nous restons dans un petit hotel. Durant notre cinq jours ici nous fairons tous les jours des activités avec Jefferson, sa copine Angelica, et des amis: comme la fete d'anniversaire de leur ami Rebeca, un pic nic dans la...

Jul 4, 2009 - On the river in Los Llanos

Los Llanos, a huge Savannah in central Venezuela, is home to a vast array of wildlife. Considered one of the great natural hábitats of the world, Los Llanos is a tropical grassland too wet for farming but reasonably fit for ranching. The weather is extreme here….in the wet season it is VERY wet but in the dry season, it becomes very dry. Typically, tours into Los Llanos are best in the dry season (December through April) when the land is dry and wildlife accumulates around watering holes. It is the rainy season, though, so our chances of...

Jul 2, 2009 - Coffee plantation and ... paragliding

One last day in Mérida and one final chance for paragliding but we didn’t want to sit around all day waiting to find out if it was going to happen. So, we booked a day of touring around the countryside near Merida with a local tour guide recommended by our hostess, Margot. Luis is a retired math professor from the University of the Andes based in Mérida who has been running a small tour business since he left teaching 12 years ago. Luis and Margot cooked up an itinerary for us that would be flexible enough to accommodate the two...